Fight For It
by apoole
Summary: Sara has her dream job but her current relationship isn't as such. Dean tries to come to terms with his missed opportunity to be with her. The two are close friends and confide, almost, everything to each other. Dean learns of her rocky relationship with a wrestler from a competing company. Will he fight to help her move on or will things turn for the worse for Sara?
1. Chapter 1: Pain

The city below was quiet as she sat in a chair on the balcony of her hotel room. She placed her feet on the railing and pushed her chair to lean back. Her body was sore from her match tonight. It was only her second match back since she had been out for an injury to her right knee. She ran her fingers over the scar on her knee and sighed. Tomorrow would be a free day for her. No appearances. No matches. Just her and her hotel room.

"You do realize it's going to rain." She jumped in her seat almost tipping back in her chair. She looked to her left and saw Dean leaning on the railing of the balcony next to her.

"A little rain never hurt anything." She said.

He smiled and cleared his throat. "You had a good match tonight Sara. How's the knee feeling?"

She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her knee again. "It's sore but the doctors said that it will get that way when I get back in the ring. Even if it was unbearable I wouldn't care. I'm happy to be back." The breezy blew her hair around her face. She closed her eyes and inhaled deep.

"I love the smell of rain, Dean. It reminds me of being back in my hometown."

He laughed at her. "There's no place like home, but you're a couple of hundred miles away from Georgia." She looked toward him and smiled then looked up at the sky to the stars.

"How is that Nick guy?" He asked her. "I assume you two caught back up while you were out."

Sara sighed again. Nick Aldis wrestled under the name Magnus for TNA wrestling. She had been signed with the company around the same time that he was. After a year she left the company and signed a contract with the WWE. Nick had kept in contact with her after she left. The two dated each other multiple times over the years and found it difficult due to the competition between companies and their schedules. For the eight months Sara was out she had caught back up with him. "He's great. I enjoyed spending more time with him, but I missed you and the other guys too."

Sara refused to call herself a Diva; she was a wrestler. She never let anyone try to change her in her career. She out casted herself on purpose in the WWE. Her ring attire was not revealing. A regular t-shirt and a pair of black tights with her boots suited her. Often she wore something that promoted one of the wrestlers and other times she wore something that had a skull displayed. When she was signed she became friends with Phil, CM Punk, and then befriended Dean when he and the others moved up to the main roster. Dean had become a close friend. She confided in him with a lot of her personal issues. Over time she grew toward Seth and Roman through Dean's association with them. Dean comforted her when she became frustrated with the company pressuring her to be stereotyped as a Diva and change her image. In backstage segments they wanted her to wear short dresses that flaunted her cleavage. She had a nice body but she wasn't there to flaunt it.

She never gave up and eventually kept control of her character. She had been next in line to win the women's championship. During her match against Natalya she slipped too far off the turnbuckle and fell completely outside of the ring and injured her knee. After this and being told she needed surgery and would be out for some time she thought her career had ended. Dean did his best to keep her spirits up. He often called her or would send her messages. When they toured near Tampa he and Roman visited her while she stayed with Nick. They had very few encounters with the man but Dean never had a good vibe from him.

Dean smiled at her again and said, "Don't stay out here too long. I don't want the rain to make you melt."

She giggled and said, "Shit floats, I wouldn't want you to float away."

He grinned and went back into his room. He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it onto the pile of clothes in the floor. Roman came out of the bathroom and sat down on his bed in the room.

"Why were you outside?" He asked Dean.

Dean crawled under the blanket in his own bed and grabbed the remote to the television and clicked it on. "I saw Sara out so I was talking to her." He said, "She's still dating that dick from TNA."

Roman shrugged his shoulders and shook his head at his friend. "You have nothing to be angry about. There was nothing but air and opportunity between you and her. You just never acted upon anything. Plus you don't have a British accent."

Dean glared over at Roman who had a grin on his face now. Dean launched the remote toward him and he caught it. Dean signed and slid down in the bed until his head touched the pillow.

"You're right I can only blame myself. I'm happy for her I guess." He was happy for her but he would be happier if he had the opportunity to go after her again.

"Then get you happy ass to bed. Seth wants to go to CrossFit early in the morning. I'm not listening to your ass cry about being tired." Roman laid back in his bed and leaned to turn off the light.

Sara stepped back inside and pulled the sliding door shut. She removed her hoodie and placed it on the edge of her bed. Tomorrow needed to be a quiet day for her. She walked into the bathroom and looked herself in the mirror. She turned and lifted her tank top off her side revealing a bruise on her ribs. It was an old bruise that had just begun fading away. She didn't get this bruise in the ring.

She examined the rest of her body for various bruising. Some were received from various hits inside the ring and some were from other occasions that she wanted to forget about. When Dean and Roman came to visit her she was ecstatic. Nick, however, did not have the same opinion as she did.

"_Did you have fun at lunch with your boyfriends?" Nick stared down at her. At first she thought he was joking but the look of jealousy never departed from his face._

_Sara balanced herself on her crutches. She wasn't sure of what she should say to him exactly. "They are not my 'boyfriends,' Nick. Dean and Roman have been my friends for a few years now. Why would you say that?"_

_He rolled his eyes toward her, "That Dean guy look at you the way I use to look at you!"_

_She had a remark for him, "Unlike you I can be friends with someone without fucking them every time I see them! How is that Mickie James anyway?"_

_Nick had her backed into the wall. His hands were in her hair forcing the back of her head against the wall. The two were nose to nose as he screamed at her. "DON'T YOU EVER BRING THAT UP AGAIN!"_

_He let her go and she fell down to the floor. She held her injured knee and sobbed._

She pulled her blanket over her body and stared at the ceiling. When she was younger she had never expected her life to be quite like this. It was a dream to become a professional wrestler but at this time in her life she had expected to be married and with a child or two. Her relationship with Nick was not healthy. Maybe their time spent apart would repair what once was. Thinking of encounter after encounter made her knee ache. She closed her eyes and rolled over to her side.


	2. Chapter 2 Desire

**(The end of this chapter is smut. Probably only my second time writing something like it so here's your warning before you read on.)**

"I told you man," Roman said as he laced up his tennis shoes in the locker room. "That turnbuckle doesn't get any softer."

Dean rubbed his forehead with his fingers. He had a rough encounter with the turnbuckle during his match but he would survive.

"I thought Sara had a match tonight," Seth chimed in as he threw his backpack over his shoulder.

Dean stood up from his chair and shrugged his shoulders. "She mentioned to fucking AJ that her knee was hurting. She tattled on her to the doc knowing they'd put her in the match instead of Sara."

"Bitches," Roman said and he and Seth laughed.

The trio walked out of the locker room to their rental car. They were all tired from their match at the end of the house show. "What did she do instead?" Seth asked.

Dean shook his head and frowned, "She was pretty upset when I talked to her at lunch. She also had two drinks at lunch. I guarantee she went back to the bar at the restaurant too."

Seth laughed again, "I thought she gave up drinking."

"I did too."

Sara stared down into the empty glass that once held her fourth tequila sunrise. She looked up toward the bartender standing in front of her with pleading eyes. "One more and you are cut off," he said.

She grinned at the bald man and began drinking from the straw of the fresh drink he had made her. "I thought you gave up drinking," she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"CM Punk," she said and tried to smoothly turn on the bar stool she was sitting. She staggered in her seat.

"Sara, we're not inside the ring," Phil rolled his eyes at her calling him by his ring name.

"Dammit, Phil."

He gave her a small smile and shook his head. It had been some time since she had over done herself.

"Tequila?"

"Liquid gold."

He expelled a loud sigh and put his hand on her shoulder, "Amy should have never introduced you to that. You're done. I'm taking you back to the hotel."

She whined but got up from the bar anyway. They left the bar and he got out his cell phone to call for a taxi.

"I'll puke if I ride in anything," he looked at her face and could tell fresh air would be the best for her.

He frowned and looked at his watch. It was after midnight and the hotel was four blocks down the street. If she wasn't his friend he would let her suffer in a car. He didn't want to pay for the cab service to clean out the car though.

He led her down the street occasionally keeping her from staggering into a light pole or a trash can. He was slightly entertained at this but aggravated with her at the same time. "What possessed you to drink yourself silly tonight?" He asked her as he pulled on her belt loop.

"Life, Phil. Life is not a box of chocolates. Maybe it is. I meant chocolate gives you cavities. Cavities hurt. I have hurt in my life." Sara through her arms out and smacked him in the chest with the back of her hand as she acted out her dramatic mini speech.

He shook his head and continued to push her down the street. Eventually they made it back to the hotel. "My feet hurt," she whined in the elevator.

He watched as the numbers lit up above them for her floor, "Wait until you wake up in the morning. Whine about that feeling."

The doors pulled open and they met Dean. Sara's face lit up with joy. She jumped toward him and he caught her in his arms.

Dean looked at Phil, "Uh.."

"Goodnight!" Phil waved at him as the elevator doors shut again.

Sara pressed her lips against Dean's causing him to stumble back against the wall in the hallway. His hands were placed under her bottom holding her up as her legs remained wrapped around his waist. He knew he should stop this at that moment but he never let their lips part as he carried her down the hallway. After finding the key they were in her room. He laid her down on the bed and leaned up from her.

"You're not stopping," she demanded. She leaned up and jerked his t-shirt over his head.

She ran her hands down his chest over her abs. A chill went through his body as her hand traveled over the erection showing through his sweatpants. "You're drunk," he moaned. She forced his pants and boxer shorts down.

"Fuck me," she said pulling him down on top of her again. Did she really say that?

Dean licked her lips with his tongue. He pushed himself off her again. He pulled her jeans off along with her panties.

"Fuck me, Dean," she demanded again. He pushed her legs apart and forced himself into her. She moaned and arched her back pushing herself toward him.

His hips met hers in a wild frenzy as he slammed into her, trying to push himself in as deep as he could. He gripped the edge of the mattress with one hand, the other wrapping around her thigh as he moved. The bed slammed against the wall, but he didn't care. There was only her beneath him, her pushing against him, forcing him deeper. He felt every muscle within her tightening and releasing, squeezing him. She was shaking beneath him, her back arching so erotically, her fingers tight around the muscles of his upper arms.

Her body tightened, a small scream escaped from her lips as she came around him, and he pushed deeper, pushed harder, faster. His hips grinded into hers and she screamed again, shaking and quivering, and he could feel how hot she was, her body urging him. He was so hard he ached, but he wanted to be deeper, wanted her to come harder. She was panting, he couldn't stop slamming into her, his thrusts lifting her hips off of the bed. His desire for her had built up for too long.

"Cum for me one more time," he growled into her ear, her legs wrapped tightly around him. She dug her nails down his back and he pushed harder. With his free hand he removed her shirt and pushed her bra above her breasts. He kissed her again slipping his lounge into her mouth. His hand cupped her breast, her soft skin was warm under his hand.

"Dean," she moaned into his mouth. He couldn't take much more. He pushed himself hard and deep into her one last time and came inside her. He lowered her to the bed, he pulled out of her and laid his body next to hers.

She looked at him with weary eyes. The effects of alcohol and sex had drained her. His eyes ran over her naked body to examine what he had wanted for so long.

"Sara," he mumbled as he saw healing bruises in various places. She had fallen asleep next to him. He sighed and pulled her body under the blankets on the bed. He slipped his boxers back on and laid next to her only on top of the blankets. He knew that she had not been beaten enough in the ring to have her body look like it did.

Dean was awake at daylight. He stared over at Sara who was still asleep. He quietly snuck out of her hotel room and went to his own. Seeing that all of Roman's belongings were gone he remembered that they were going to leave early to travel home. He went into the bathroom and started running a shower. He stood under the hot running water and put his hands against the wall to lean forward. Sara was intoxicated last night and he felt that his desires pushed him to take advantage of her.

She jumped at him first though. He shook any thoughts from his head and finished up his shower. He gathered up his belongings and left his room.

"How's the not-so-alcoholic?" He looked to find Phil walking toward him grinning.

Dean had his bag over his shoulder. "I was going to check on her before I found a way to the airport. Seth and Roman went on their own."

Phil smirked and asked, "Did you forget to tell them you were having a sleepover with her?"

Dean looked down at his feet. Phil was a mentor for him when he was signed with the WWE. He knew him a little too well. "I didn't plan for that to happen. Sara is a good friend of mine."

The two men walked together down the hallway. Phil generally came off as a smartass at times. This time he had more of a serious tone in his voice. "She's a good friend of mine too. She is Amy's best friend too, very much like a sister to me. You are also my friend, but I won't hesitate to kick your ass if I need to."

"I love that girl Phil. Don't give me any shit about hurting her. I would kick my own ass if that happened." Dean threw his bag down to the floor next to Sara's door.

"You do remember that she is dating Nick right?" Phil asked him reminding him of her current status.

"Yeah but I'm starting to think that isn't the right thing for her. He's the one you need to worry about hurting her." Dean had anger in his voice and reached his hand up to knock on Sara's door.


	3. Chapter 3: Over It

Dean sat on the edge of the bed down from where Sara was sitting. Phil stood in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. "I don't understand," he said.

"What is there to understand, Phil? None of you were to find out about this. It's something that can be fixed. I know it can." She was looking down at her feet.

Dean looked at her with a look of awe. Phil caught what she had said. "You had sex with one of your friends. That's kind of throwing a wrench in your little fix it idea."

She looked over at Dean. There was no way she could blame everything on being intoxicated. She wanted him as soon as she saw him. He would think that she could only so feelings for him if she had something to take off the edge. "I love Nick, I love him very much."

"Do you love him when he physically hurts you?" Dean snapped toward her.

"That's not the point, Dean! Maybe we have had a few bumps in the road, but he really does love and care about me." Her feelings were hurt now.

Dean threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, I'm done. See you Monday, if you are able to make it to the show."

He stormed out of the hotel room leaving Phil and Sara alone. "You're not really that oblivious are you?" Phil asked her.

"I don't follow." Sara pulled at the handle on her rolling suitcase to leave.

"Maybe that is your problem. You're so worried about following suit and not being yourself that you tend to miss what is staring you right in the face. Do you not see that this guy, who you let walk out just now, loves you? Right now I don't understand why. And I don't understand why you're putting yourself in a situation that is dangerous and unhealthy." He had become aggravated with his friend.

"Are you done with your little speech? I hope so because I'm going to miss my flight home." Phil shook his head as Sara left the hotel room.

When he arrived at the airport he met up with Dean. Dean was obviously upset over what had happened. "I didn't take advantage of her, Phil. I could have fucked her and just went on but I don't want that."

"I know you didn't. I'm not sure what to tell you about this either. This is a little too Day of Our Lives for me." Phil was trying to joke around for Dean.

Dean wasn't impressed and said, "Thanks for the support. Like I said, I will see her Monday if she makes it through the weekend. I didn't think she would be so stubborn in a situation like this.

* * *

Sara was anxious when she made it to her and Nick's house. She left her suitcase and backpack still packed up in the bedroom and sat in the kitchen waiting for him to arrive home. The conversation with Phil occasionally came across her thoughts. Maybe she was too oblivious toward Dean. She had close friendships with other men in the past and none of them had never shown her any interest. That's something she didn't want to think about. Now was the time she wanted to know if things in her current relationship could be fixed. She jumped in her chair when she heard the door slam shut.

"Sara?" Nick's voice echoed into the kitchen. He walked in and smiled at her. He approached her and grabbed his arms around her. She stood still in front of him not knowing what to do. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She smiled up at him feeling relieved now. She had expected to come home to a hostile man. "I've missed you so much." His accent gave her goose bumps.

"I've missed you too honey. I caught your match the other night! You did great." She wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his chest. It had been so long since he let her do this. She inhaled to smell the cologne he always wore. Sweet Pea? That wasn't what he wore. Actually, what man would wear that?

"Babe, you smell like flowers. Who have you been around that smells like that?" She knew exactly who he had been around.

"A few fans asked for some autographs while I was out at the door. It was a few female fans and I did give them all a hug." Liar. She knew better. He had to roll all over them in order to get their perfume on his body.

She forced a smile on her face. "That's awful sweet of you. I'm sure they were happy for that."

He kissed her forehead one more time. "I'm going into my office to catch up on a few things."

Nick left the kitchen to go to the other room. Sara leaned against the wall and sighed. He was still seeing Mickie with no doubt. She wanted to be angry with him, but how was she any better? It was only last night that she had been with Dean. She wasn't going to blame it on alcohol either. She knew exactly what was happening. Nothing but Dean would have been able to stop her. She wanted Dean and had wanted him for a long time. She bit her bottom lip knowing she was still sore from him.

"Sara!" She heard Nick yell for her from their bedroom. She hurried to get to him.

"Can you explain this?" He held up the shirt Dean had been wearing. A black shirt that had CZW across the chest.

She thought of something quick hoping he wouldn't get angry at her. "I forgot to pack some extra t-shirts and I didn't have a regular shirt to wear after the show. Dean happened to have an extra one so he gave it to me."

Nick nodded his head and smiled. "You didn't go to the last show."

Anger and disappointment spread over his face. There was no chance that she would tell the truth. "Yes I was, Nick."

He laughed and began stepping toward her until she had backed herself into the wall. He grabbed her face with his hand and began to squeeze. "No matter what you try to tell me I will always know the truth. I have people that keep track of you when I'm not around. If I hear that you and that Ambrose guy have been fucking behind my back, you will regret every moment of it."

He let her go and left the room. She held her jaw and made her way over to the bed to sit down. There wasn't going to be many more moments that she would be able to handle before she met her breaking point.

* * *

Sara moved her finger around the inside of the rim on her glass of water. Nick had flowers sent to her while he went on a business meeting. She stared at the vase that held various flowers. None of them she liked. After years of dating she thought he would have remembered something that she liked. She wasn't even sure that he knew her favorite color. Her thoughts were interrupted by a cell phone beeping. She got up from the table and walked across the kitchen to check it.

"Nick left his cell phone." She said to herself. She ran her thumb over the screen to unlock it. Instantly a message from Mickie showed up.

"_Loved lunch. Can't wait for tomorrow. ;)"_

"Yep, I'm fucking over it." She didn't care that she was talking out loud with no one around, "Over it."

She grabbed her phone and dialed a number. "Hello." She heard Dean's voice on the other end.

"I know you're in Tampa. I don't care if you're busy, but I need you to my house by two. I'm leaving and I'm over it. I'm done. I may end up dead, but I'm done." She didn't give him time to answer back before she threw her phone against the wall out of anger.


	4. Chapter 4: Breaking Ties and Glass

Every horrible thought Dean could be thinking of was running through his head now. He'd recruited Roman to come as back up, or a witness. It hadn't been long since had called him. He tried call after call but her phone was off.

"So did you hit it?" Roman asked him as he stared forward at the road.

"What?" Dean didn't hear what he had asked.

"You never came back to the room the other night. Did you throw it to Sara?" Roman seemed to be joking with his blunt question.

"Dude, I am not even going to answer that." Dean felt that his personal issues weren't the right things to bring up at this point.

The two arrived at Sara and Nick's house. He recognized Nick's SUV sitting in the drive way. "I'm going to go get her. Listen in case I need help."

Roman laughed and turned down the car radio. "I'm your muscle in the ring but I'm not taking an ass beating on my days off."

Dean glared over to Roman like he did to opponents in the ring. Roman changed his mind quick. "I was kidding dude."

* * *

Nick walked in to the kitchen and pulled his sunglasses from his eyes. He threw them on the counter and glared over at Sara. When he entered the house and walked through the living room he found all of her personal belongings packed and waiting at the door.

"Do you think that you are a bit over packed to be going back on tour?" He asked her with a smirk on his face.

"I'm leaving Nick. I am done with this meaningless relationship. You can move your girlfriend Mickie in now." She stood in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest. He was still smirking; he began walking pushing her backwards.

She was backed against the table now. She pushed herself to sit on the edge so he couldn't completely pin her against it. He grabbed the back of her head and pressed his nose against hers. "We're going to have problems if we continue down this road. I even apologized by sending you flowers."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Flowers cannot fix this year with you. I needed your help when I was down with my knee, Nick! You made it worse because you get jealous over stupid shit. I hope you don't treat your next girlfriend like you've treated me."

He laughed at her and tightened his grip, "What makes you think I'm going to let you go so easily? Do you really think that I'm done with you?"

She grinned and grabbed the vase of flowers that was still sitting on the table behind her. "I may not be stronger than you, hell I'm not stronger than a lot of people. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean that I can't find ways to take you down. I learned in the wrestling business that when you are backed into a corner it's okay to play a little dirty to get out."

"Oh so you're going to hit me with some flowers? I've been hit with worse things babe." He let go of her and pushed himself away from her laughing. "Give me your best shot. I will give you a free hit."

"I've learned one thing about you. You like cheap things. Cheap women, can't argue with that. I'm not cheap but that bimbo you fuck on the side is pretty damn cheap especially when I can smell her cheap perfume on every inch of you. You moved us into a cheap house with cheap decorations and hell you even buy cheap trash bags for us to throw your cheap shit in. I have nothing in this house because you wouldn't let me bring anything in to this hell hole. You want me to have cheap things because I am worth nothing to you. Oh and you bought me cheap flowers. They must have been on sale because they started to wilt not long after they got here. The vase that they are in, I know it's cheap because it's going to hurt like hell when I do this."

Sara threw her arm back with vase in hand and smashed it into his face. Glass, water, and flowers had covered them and the floor around them. Nick fell to the floor clenching his face with his hand. Blood was dripping in between his fingers. "One last thing asshole, fuck you!"

She left him in the floor like many times he had left her in the same spot. As she entered the foyer to leave she heard someone beating on the door. Dean was on the other side. "The fuck Sara? I was going to get Roman help me break this door in. Why are you bleeding? Is he here? Did he hurt you?"

"No, but I'm leaving. I can tell you everything that happened, but I need to leave." She no longer felt defiant. The adrenaline she had to stand up to Nick was gone. Tears ran down her cheeks. Dean put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the car. He put her in the front with Roman and climbed in the back.

Roman stared at her and said, "If I'm driving the getaway car because you murdered someone I'm going to be pissed."

She shook her head and looked down at her bloodied hand. "Shut up and drive."

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

Dean dabbed a wet wash cloth on the palm of Sara's hand. They were in the bathroom at his apartment and he had her sitting on the counter top next to the sink. He ran his thumb over the cut she had below her thumb. "It's not as bad as it seemed with all the blood. Most of that was probably his blood anyway."

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "That probably wasn't one of my smartest moments. In my head I had a different scenario."

He laughed still holding her hand. "It worked though. Next time you decide to do something like that I hope you decide to tell me so that I know you're not going to end up dead."

He reached up to the medicine cabinet next to her and pulled out some gauze wrapping. She smiled as he wrapped the wound on her hand. "Mr. First-Aid huh?"

A small chuckle escaped his mouth and he leaned over and kissed her cheek. This caused her to blush. He stood there for a moment remembering this was the first close to intimate interaction they had since that night at the hotel. He cupped her cheek with his hand and moved his face closer to hers. "You told me to fuck you and I did as you asked. I didn't just fuck you. I put every feeling every emotion I have had for you into each moment that night. I care for you more than you know. I know deep down somewhere you feel the same for me."

She bit her bottom lip and stared at him. He kissed her forehead and moved away from. "You need to figure out a lot of things, Sara. I'm here for you as your friend. I know we leave out tomorrow night for Raw but after that you can crash in the spare room for as long as you need."

She wasn't sure of what she needed to say. He continued, "I can get you a shirt and some shorts to sleep in tonight. You do realize that you didn't take anything from your house right?"

She blushed again. "I seriously didn't think about that at the time. I wanted out."

She changed into the clothes Dean had pulled out for her. He let her toss her jeans into the washing machine so she could wear them again tomorrow. She was exhausted from her day. When she tried to go to sleep in the spare room she found herself to be wide awake. It was hard for her to understand that Dean had feelings for her and she never caught up on any of it. Maybe she was too caught up in Nick to ever think of it.

She went to his room and knocked lightly on the door. "Come in."

She pushed open the door and stood in the door way. Dean had the bed sheet pulled up to his chest. He motioned for her to lay next to him and she didn't waste time to be next to him. She put her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. He occasionally stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"Sara?" He felt her jerk in his arms. She must have started to fall asleep.

"Hum?" She sounded groggy.

"Do you think that you would want this every night?" he asked her. "Would you want someone to hold you every night until you are asleep? I can do that if you let me. I can do a lot more for you."

"Dean, you told me I have a lot of things to figure out right? I'm going to figure that out." She wanted to tell him yes without thinking, but now wasn't the time to decide that.

He bent down and kissed the top of her head again. "Go to sleep. You have a lot to do tomorrow."

* * *

Dean held Sara the entire night. Neither of them moved. They both felt at piece laying there together. He dreamed of them being together and being happy. His dreams were interrupted by Sara screaming. He sat up in the bed and saw that she wasn't in the room. He ran out to the living where he found her on her knees in front of the TV. She was staring at the local news and a house that was fully engulfed in flames. She looked up at him when he stood next to her. "That asshole set my fucking house on fire!"


	5. Chapter 5: Remembering Scars

"I'm going to kill him, Dean. That fucker set my house on fire I will set his mother fuckin' face on fire!" Sara was yelling and pacing back and forth on the floor in Dean's living room.

Seth and Roman had arrived at the apartment to hang out with them before they all went to the airport. Roman was being himself and asked, "When did you get a southern accent?"

She glared at him. "I'm from Georgia!"

She began pacing again. Dean stepped in front of her. She had been doing this for thirty minutes. "My landlord won't appreciate a new track in my living room. You need to calm down."

She huffed at him and sat next to Seth on the couch. "I have nothing now. I should have grabbed my bags when we left. All of my credit cards were there and my phone. The only clothes I have are what I put in the washing machine. I'm going to kill him I swear."

Dean stood in the middle of the floor for a moment. "You stay here. These two aren't letting you go anywhere okay? I'll be back."

She was confused and still pissed. "Now I need baby sitters?"

Dean left the apartment and drove his car to various stores. He purchased a variety of clothing for Sara to wear. He also went to the store of his cell phone service provider and activated a new phone for her on his plan. As he drove back to his apparent he started thinking about what he had done. Without thinking or consulting with her he bought her things. He knew exactly what she would want to wear, her sizes, and everything. If she got mad at him then he would understand, but he wanted to do this for her.

He arrived back to her sitting calmly on the couch. She didn't protest to what he had done. She knew that she was left with nothing until she could get her cards and everything else back in order. She promised to repay him for everything. While he was gone she told him about the police coming to talk to her about the fire. They informed her that the fire marshal had ruled the fire as an electrical fire. She called bullshit but didn't tell the police that just to avoid further questions.

He brought her two spare suitcases he wasn't using. She was in the other bedroom making sure everything fit before they went to the airport. "Do you want to go see what's left of the house?" He asked her.

"No I don't. It looked like it was gone but the cops said only the front part of the house caught on fire. If there's anything of mine left I don't care." She started putting her new things in the suitcases.

He came up behind her and turned her to look at him. The two stood there with their eyes fixated on each other. "Your eyes a different green. They're almost like a bright green." He ran his fingers through her hair.

He leaned his face toward hers and let his lips brush against hers. "This sensual stuff is kind of driving me insane, Dean."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Get what you need packed up. We leave for the airport in an hour."

* * *

Everyone had been on tour for two months now. Sara had opened up more to Dean. Every moment that she had she spent with him other than nights they had a show. Her spirits were boosted both inside and outside of the ring. She trained with Dean and the others when possible. She had been signed with the WWE longer than he had but he was wrestling long before she had even graduated from high school. He showed her different holds and submissions. At times she found it hard to concentrate when he would touch her. She always thought back to the first time they had sex. This was the only time for them. He was waiting until she determined that she wanted to commit to him. This didn't stop him from teasing her though. He wasn't going to push her; he heard of the plans the company had for her and didn't want to distract her.

He convinced her to share a room with him and Roman when they stayed at a hotel. Roman was displeased with the idea at first.

"I'm not staying in a room when you two decide to get all nasty in the middle of the night." Roman threw his hands in the air and shook his head at the thought of waking up to them moaning and groaning.

"What if we read you a bedtime story afterwards?" Dean was amused at his friend's anxiety toward the arrangement. Sara slapped his arm with her hand and gave him a glare.

"I promise that won't happen Ro. Believe me, I'm not happy that you know we 'got nasty' as you said." Sara didn't like having others know of her personal life.

Roman did eventually get comfortable with the idea. He laughed seeing Sara and Dean playfully pick toward each other and bicker about things like a married couple. He was also impressed with Sara's personality change. Before she seemed distant around anyone other than Dean or Phil. She loosened up and was herself.

They all had a free night. Seth and Antonio came over from their shared hotel room to hang out and have a few beers. Roman had his Xbox game console hooked up to the television and they all took turns playing against each other on the latest war game. Sara and Antonio had finished playing a round and they were joking around with each other.

"For a girl you are pretty good at video games." He pretend to punch her arm.

"I may be a girl, but I can do a lot of things better than you in five different languages!" She giggled to herself when she used his motto.

Antonio wasted no time throwing her up on his shoulder. She kicked her feet and laughed. She moved her hair from her face and looked over at Dean sitting in the couch laughing at them.

"Ambrose I think your girl would like some help." Antonio told him his he let her dangle upside down behind him.

Dean shook his head and took a sip of beer from his bottle. "She picked this fight on her own."

Antonio spun her around a couple of times and tossed her onto the couch next to Dean. He returned to Seth and Roman who were concentrating on their current game.

Sara smiled at Dean and stretched her legs over his lap. She had changed into a pair of mesh shorts and wore one of his hoodies over her spaghetti strap tank top. He put his hand on her knee and ran his thumb over the scar on her knee. "That's one hell of a scar from that surgery."

She shrugged her shoulders and leaned back on the arm rest. "Yeah but Nick was the cause of that. He threw one of his tantrums after I left the hospital. Busted the incision open and they had to sew it up again. It's a scar of my past though. Every time I look at it I will be reminded of how much time I wasted on him. But I also have this one." She held up her hand and pushed down her sleeve. On her palm below her thumb she had a scar from the glass vase that she had smashed on Nick's face. "This one is going to be my favorite scar. It will remind me of how I fought back for once. Each time I see it I will remember I need to fight to get something I want. This was a new start in my life."

He smiled at her and pulled her toward him to sit on his lap. He pulled his arm around her waist and used his free hand to run his fingers through her hair. "I want to be part of that new start, Sara."

She rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes. "I want you to be too."

He kissed the tip of her nose and sighed. "We have time for that in the future. We can't let whatever we have start to push in to our careers."

She pulled away and looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Have they not talked to you yet? Sara they're going to give you a shot at the women's title. You're going to be the next champion." He was surprised at the shocked look she still had on her face.

"Wow, they haven't told me that. That's so exciting! Dean I've never held the title." She was beyond happy. She'd never held the Diva's title and had never had a title match. At the time the company was more concerned about having a model type female as the champion. Over the past two years they changed their minds. Kaitlyn and AJ were the start of the divisions change. While Sara was out of action AJ had lost the title to Nikki Bella. "I'm shocked at AJ hasn't done anything to change that for me though. She has it out for me."

"It's not like you can't take her anyway. Half the time I think you could whoop Seth's ass!" Dean said the last part loud enough to make Seth glare over at him.

"Would you be mad at me if I changed a little?" Sara asked him. She had never mentioned ever changing herself.

"What do you mean? I love you the way you are now." He wasn't sure of what she was referring to.

"I mean I want to change my look for the ring some. I have an idea and they are going to let me do it. If you don't want me to I won't." He realized that she was asking for his permission.

He shook his head at her and laughed. "You do not have to ask my permission for anything involving your career."

She smiled and softly kissed his lips. He pulled her close and kissed her back. They sat cuddled together on the couch until Seth and Antonio left for the night. He wrapped his arms tight around her as they laid in the bed. He rolled his eyes at Roman's loud snoring and listened to Sara's soft breathing. He knew she was letting her heart open to him little by little. He couldn't wait for the moment when she would tell him things were right.

* * *

Sara looked at her reflection in the full length mirror. The last alterations to her new ring attire were finished and all five sets had arrived. Tonight was the first night everyone would get to see her new look. She wore black spandex shorts that stopped at her knee. A large neon green star was printed on the left hip of the shorts. Her wrestling boots had just been broken in. She went with plain black but bought extra laces to change out to match the rest of her attire. Her top was something a little more provocative.

She was happier with her body now and wanted to show it off a little more but not enough to make it look like she was conforming to the standards of a Diva. She had custom lace tops made for herself. They also matched her different pairs of shorts. She also had a corset top made to go over everything. Slightly nervous, she left the locker room. Her match tonight against AJ would determine the number one contender against Nikki for the title at the next pay per view. She stood behind the curtain and watched AJ before the break. AJ skipped down the hallway twirling a piece of her hair around her finger.

She stopped and smiled to the right of the screen. They panned over to Dean, Seth, and Roman standing before their match. AJ tried to be flirty with Dean. He rolled his eyes at her and turned away. Sara was pissed now. This was enough motivation to take down AJ. The Great Divide by In This Moment hit for her entrance. She was motivated more than ever. AJ was smirking at her when she entered the ring. Sara stayed the corner and let her prance around. The two walked to the center of the ring.

"I'm a little sad that I don't have to keep tabs on you anymore." AJ said with a fake pouty face.

"Tabs? Excuse me?" Sara wasn't sure of why she needed tabs to be kept on her.

"Yeah for Nick. How do you think he knew about your every move?" Everything made more sense now. AJ had been telling Nick everything.

AJ caught her off guard during the match. She focused mainly on Sara's knee. She also attempted to talk down to her. Sara had enough. She hit the head lock driver and pinned her for the win. She bent down next to AJ and growled in her ear. "Fuck with me or my man and I will beat your ass again."


	6. Chapter 6: Family

Dean was startled when Sara came backstage and jumped in his arms. He stumbled back to sit on a trunk sitting behind him. He sat her on his lap and she kissed his lips.

"What was that for?" He asked her letting a smile appear. He had gotten into his character mood for their entrance.

"I want to let you know that at this point I consider you mine and I am yours. I don't want constant jealousy in our relationship but when little twats like AJ try pushing my buttons over you or my past I will take care of it." She said, Dean could see a new fire in her eyes.

"Is that why you stole my finisher out there?" He asked her with a joking tone.

"I learned from the best." She said laughing and kissed him again.

"Don't let Phil hear you say that."

* * *

Dean was leaning against the door frame of the bathroom watching Sara brush out her hair after she had showered. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He pressed his lips to the back of her neck and inhaled her scent.

"I'm going to go have a late run with Phil." He said as he kiss her neck again.

It was the middle of November and they were currently touring in the northern United States. Everywhere they had been was almost freezing.

Sara smirked at him in the mirror and said, "You better not come back and think you are going to put your cold hands and feet on me again like last time. You will be sleeping with Roman this time."

He kissed the top of her head and said, "He likes to cuddle when it's cold."

Dean met up with Phil at the lobby of the hotel. "You ready?" Phil asked him.

Dean nodded and the two went outside to begin their run. They made it to a specific part of town Dean had been itching to go to. The two entered a jewelry store together and were both instantly dumbfounded. "I don't think we have a clue on what we are looking for." Phil told his friend.

Dean was looking down at a glass case with various diamond bracelets. "You have a girlfriend dude. You should know what to look for." Dean said trying not to seem puzzled.

"Amy doesn't ask for jewelry. I did buy her a kick ass pair of shoes once." Phil said, he saw an elderly lady who was an employee and flagged her down.

"Yes ma'am, my young friend here is looking for a gift for his girlfriend and neither one of us know a thing about anything in this store." Phil told her obviously pointing out their lacking in knowledge.

"Are you looking for an engagement ring?" The lady asked Dean.

His face turned two shades red. He smiled and said, "Actually I kind of am."

Phil's mouth dropped. He pulled Dean aside. "You said a gift not a proposal." He scolded Dean for not telling him the full story.

"Chill man. I'm not going to ask her anytime soon. I'm just getting prepared for it in the future." Dean said, he had put some serious thought into what he was doing.

"I just think that you are rushing this a little. You haven't even met her dad yet. That's a big thing for her. I had to meet him and I am only a close friend. And he doesn't like me because I'm dating his all-time Diva crush." Phil said.

Dean shook his head and said, "I know what I'm doing dude. By the time I do ask her it will be a year. And I've known her longer than that. Just trust me when I say I know what I am doing."

Phil put up his hands up and said, "I'm friends to both of you. Just don't take things too fast. You never know what will happen."

Dean smiled and nodded his head. He went back over to the sales lady and began looking at rings.

* * *

Dean placed his hand on top of Sara's as he drove them to her father's house. He was a little nervous about meeting her father and the rest of her family but he was also excited to be spending the Thanksgiving holiday with her.

"I think that you will like my dad. He and I are pretty much the same person." Sara told him.

Dean smiled and said, "Phil told me that, but he also told me about his first encounter with your dad."

"Okay here's the thing, my dad thought that Phil was dating me. Dad hadn't got the point yet that I had guy friends. Then he found out that he was dating Amy and he got a little madder because he liked Lita on the WWE." She said while laughing.

"And I am dating you now so that story still doesn't help the situation."

Dean turned up a long drive way that led to a two story house back in a wooded area. The house was just as Sara described. When she was able to afford it she bought her father this house. The two entered the house and were greeted by a small number of Sara's family. Many of them were her aunts and uncles. The elderly women swooned over Dean and picked around at Sara for finding him. He was slightly embarrassed but got used to being called 'honey,' 'sugar,' and 'sweetie.' After dinner Sara's father, Ira, asked him to step outside with him to talk.

Dean followed her father outside to the back porch. Ira sat down in a wooden rocking chair and directed Dean to sit in the other. The two men sat in silence looking out toward the woods behind the house.

"Do you love my daughter?" Ira asked him breaking the silence.

"Yes sir, I do. I fell in love with her the moment I met her." Dean said.

The tired looking man nodded his head to accept Dean's answer and said, "Sara was all that I had left when her mother passed away."

"She never told me about her mother sir. I try not to push her to tell me things unless she wants to." Dean said, he was interested to hear about her mother.

"My wife passed away when Sara was three. I wouldn't expect her to have many memories of her being that young. That youngin' is a lot like me but I see a whole lot of her mother in her. Her mother was a wrestler too. Wrestled in the Georgia State Wrestling Association. She was damn good too. After Sara was born and old enough she went back to wrestling. Sara loved watching her mother do it. She died in a car accident coming back from a show. It killed me for my little girl to ask for her mother. I wish that woman was here to see what our child has accomplished. She would've liked you." Ira said, he had lit a cigar from his pocket and began puffing on it.

Dean frowned and said, "I'm sorry to hear that story sir. I do love your daughter very much. I could see myself spending the rest of my life with her. That's if you would give me permission for that sir."

Ira sat with the cigar resting between his teeth staring at Dean. "Are you asking for my blessing?" He asked.

"Yes sir." Dean stared back at him trying to not seem intimidated.

"Well," Ira said and started rocking his chair. "I like you better than that Nick guy. You wrestle better than him too. He never called me sir and hell that's the only thing you've called me. I guess I will give you my blessing, you have to promise me two things."

Dean got up and extended his hand for a handshake. "Yes sir, I will promise you anything." He said.

Ira shook his hand and said, "The first thing is, don't let her shut you out. Even as a kid Sara wouldn't tell me anything unless I forced her. She tried hiding a cut on her knee when she fell off her bike when she was a kid. The last thing is, I want you to take good care of her. I never know when my time here on earth will be done so I want to be sure there is someone that will take care of my little girl for me."

"Yes sir, I can do that." Dean said with a huge smile on his face.

After the long day Sara and Dean had to say their goodbyes to everyone. On the car ride back to Tampa Sara was silent. Dean was going to start fulfilling his first promise to her father.

"What's wrong, babe?" He asked her.

She sighed and said, "I just hate leaving my dad. I love this job, but I miss seeing my dad. He looked different too. I was surprised he lost that much weight. And he seemed so tired. He said everything was fine."

He reached over and rubbed her knee with his hand. "It's okay babe," he said. "Maybe you can get him passes to some of the pay-per-views coming up. I know he would want to see you wrestle live."

She smiled over at him and said, "Yeah, I think I will do that. He would be thrilled to come meet everyone too. It has been forever since he was able to come to any of the events."

"I think one of the best ones would be WrestleMania. That's your big match remember? I know you can't wait for April to get here." Dean said, he was excited for this opportunity just as much as she was.

Dean sighed with relief when he pulled his car into the parking area of his apartment complex. He looked over at Sara who had fallen asleep an hour ago. He was thankful they would have a few extra days off and knew that he was going to need it after this trip.

He leaned over to kiss Sara on the cheek and said, "Wake up sleepy head."

Sara opened her eyes and instantly got out of the car. Dean got out to walk with her. She leaned against him as they walked into the building and almost went back to sleep on him in the elevator.

"Damn you're really tired." He said.

She yawned and stretched her arms out. "I guess since we don't have to actually be out constantly my lack of sleep has caught up to me." She said.

The elevator stopped at the floor where his apartment was and he led her inside. It wasn't long before Sara had crawled into his bed and had fallen asleep again. He was quick to follow her. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. The conversation with her dad replayed in his mind. Some of what the man said concerned him but he knew there was reasons beyond him behind everything. He laid next to Sara listening to her breath until he dozed off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Too Soon?

**(So I know it seems that things may be moving too fast for Dean and Sara. Trust me, all this is leading up to some interesting events.)**

Months passed on for Sara, Dean, and their relationship. He enjoyed the holidays with her and seemed to be part of her family. He couldn't help but notice some change in her father. Each time he met him he seemed to be smaller and have no color. The man never complained of anything being wrong. The day before WrestleMania Dean saw a huge difference in Ira's appearance. He wasn't going to intrude on him though. While Sara rehearsed for her match Dean showed her father around the arena for the show and introduced him to the wrestlers he had not met in the past.

"I've said this before son, but I'm happy Sara has found someone like you." Ira said. He sipped on a bottle of water that had been given to him

"Thank you sir. I want to tell you that I'm going to propose to Sara tomorrow night after her match." Dean said.

Ira smiled at him and said, "I'm glad I will be around to witness it.

Dean was grateful that Ira was accepting him. His plans for everything were going well. The night of the big show he could see Sara was nervous backstage. All that left when she went out in front of the crowd. She played off the energy of the fans and gave it her all during the match. In the end she won the women's title. She had tears of joy running down her face as she celebrated in the ring. Before she returned backstage she ran up to her father in the front row behind the commentators. They shared the moment of joy together and she ran backstage.

Dean met up with her and embraced her in a hug. "Where is your dad?" He asked her.

"They're taking him back to where they had food set out for us." She said, she couldn't stop smiling.

"Perfect." He said and grabbed her hand. He quickly pulled her behind him to another area.

She say her dad again immediately hugged him. A few of the other wrestlers were also in the room and congratulated her on her win. She turned around from where she was standing and found Dean wrapping his arms around her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"I am so happy for you, Sara." He mumbled as he kissed her lips.

"Thank you, babe. You're going to be late for your match if you keep standing back here." She said as she ran her hands over his vest.

"Don't worry about that. The show can wait long enough for me to ask the girl I love to marry me." He said and put his hand in his pocket.

She laughed and raised an eyebrow at him. "You might need to say that again. My ears are ringing." She said.

He kneeled in front of her and open a silver box. Inside was a diamond ring. "I want the girl standing in front of me looking at me like I have gone insane. I want her to share the rest of her life with me. I've learned a lot about love."

He grabbed her left hand and placed the ring on her ring finger. He continued, "I'm not going to be satisfied until I know you want to be my wife. Sara will you marry me?"

She was stunned. She looked around at everyone who was staring at them. Her father also stood there with tears in his eyes. This was much unexpected.

"Yes." She said and began to cry.

* * *

They could barely keep their hands of each other during the ride up in the elevator. When they finally reached their floor, Dean held her hand, leading her down the hall to their room. For once they had decided to share a room with Roman. They were excited for the privacy they would have. He slid the room key card into the door and led her inside, he pushed the door shut behind him.

Sara pushed him against the wall, kissing with passion. He had been holding their bags and threw them to the side. They peeled off each other's clothing taking breaks to kiss over again. She playfully pushed him down on the bed. "I've been waiting for this moment to happen again for a long time." She said and crawled on top of him.

Sara grabbed his cock with her hand and hovered over him running her wet folds over the head. He moaned and bit his bottom lip. He wanted her now and didn't want to waste time with teasing. He put his hands on her hips and pushed her down on top of him. She gasped feeling his hard cock inside of her. It had been months and she had forgotten what he felt like.

"Come on, babe. We've both wanted this for a while." He said and she bent down and kissed him.

She began to move her hips as he guided her with his hands. As she rode him she changed her pace. Each slow movement teased him almost over the edge. When she would speed up he would hold himself back to keep from finishing too soon. He pulled her close to him and rolled their bodies together over to position himself on top. As he thrust his hips against her he kissed her neck.

Sara couldn't take much more. She let loose and came on his cock. He felt her warmth go over him. He thrust himself a few more times and released himself into her. He pulled out and lay next to her both of them panting. She pulled herself close to him and they kissed again. "That was worth the wait, but I don't ever want to wait that long again."

* * *

Sara sat in the hotel room alone trying to brush the tangles out of her hair after she had taken a shower. She was excited for her first Raw show as champion. Last night was a memorable night for sure. Everything seemed to happen so fast too. She looked at the new ring that was on her finger. A lot of things seemed to be happening fast. She broke up with Nick a year ago and was already engaged to Dean. Of course there was no way that she was getting married anytime soon. Her career in the WWE was going to be something big now. She hoped that Dean would not be wanting to rush into a marriage either. She pulled on her tennis shoes and heard someone knock at the door. She opened it to be greeted by Phil.

"Hey Punk." She said smiling at him.

"Hey Sara, I want to talk to you." He said and she directed him to come into the room.

"What's up?" She asked him as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

He pulled a chair from the table in the room in front of her and sat down. "You have always been like a sister to me," he started. "I've supported you through pretty much everything you have done in the company and in life. I was a little upset that you didn't tell me about the Nick situation, but you know that I would have killed that fucker anyway. I think that you and Dean make a great couple. I'm afraid that you are moving too fast with everything."

She sighed and looked down at her hand again. "I understand what you are saying. I don't want to get married right away. It kind of scares the shit out of me."

"Have you talked to Dean about this?" He asked.

"No, not yet. Last night it seemed that everything got thrown at me at once. I was so thrilled with everything. My dad was there. I won the title I've been wishing for. I was a little thrown off by him proposing that I felt like I had to say yes. I love him more than anything and I do see myself being with him for a long time. I just don't see us finding time to plan anything." She said and slid the ring off her finger. She got up and found the box Dean had it in. She didn't want to lose it at the show.

* * *

Dean had finished lacing up his boots before it was time for him to make his entrance for his promo against the WWE champion Daniel Bryan. He was grateful for this push to come around. He had waited for a long time for the opportunity. As he left the men's locker room her felt a pair of small arms wrap around his waist. He smiled at the familiar smell of Sara's perfume.

"Hey babe." He said as he turned to greet her.

He noticed she had a worried look on her face. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Dean, I'm scared. I mean, I'm not scared I'm just bothered by everything." She said.

"Everything?" He wasn't sure what she meant.

"I love you. I love you more than most things that I love. I want to be with you forever, but when are we going to find time to start this marriage thing. I want to marry you, but I just started something big. And you're potentially going to have something big in your career too. How are we going to find time? I don't want these new endeavors to ruin us." She said almost crying.

"Babe, I'm not wanting to get married tomorrow. I'm not wanting to get married next week. We have time to get everything figured out. Hell, I don't care if it's a year before we get married as long as I can say that one day I'm going to make you wear a dress to meet me at the end of some church or some outside wedding. I don't want you to worry about this right now." He said.

She pushed out her bottom lip to pout. Dean leaned down and kissed her softly. "I'm sorry," she said. "I got freaked out."

He smiled and said, "Dear, you have a long time before you need to freak out about anything." He kissed her one last time and headed toward the curtain to make his entrance.

**(There are no wedding bells in the near future for the two. Of course like any good story there has to be some drama around the corner right?)**


	8. Chapter 8: Just Waiting

**(This chapter is going to be slight short, but I made sure it was over 1,000 words)**

The hospital room was cold and had a sickening clean smell. The heart monitor and ventilator took turns beeping. The sounds of the hospital had become monotonous to her. Sara had been kicked back in a stiff reclining chair for an hour watching over her father. A chill went through her body causing her to shiver. She hated hospitals but she wanted to be by her father's side. It had been two days since her father was rushed to the hospital after being found unresponsive at home.

He had gone into respiratory arrest upon arrival but their emergency department staff managed to resuscitate him. He wasn't able to breathe on his own so he had been placed on the ventilator with a tube running into his mouth to his trachea. The doctors gave Sara an update on everything. Ira had been taking cancer treatments for almost a year to try and wipe out lung cancer. She had no idea that he had been doing this. She had wondered why his appearance changed so drastically each time she visited. He never told her anything of his health conditions. Everything was now a major shock to her.

Sleep did not exist for her now. Her eyes burned from being so raw after crying and not resting. She was at the Smackdown taping in Texas when she received the call about Ira. She rushed away so quick that she didn't even tell Dean until she had made it to the hospital in Georgia after he had called. It was just a waiting game now to see if Ira improved. A scan of his brain showed little but some brain activity. The functions of his other organs were there but not completely stable.

Every hour a nurse would come in and asses her father's vitals. Sara would leave when they would clean him up. She lost count of the times they took blood work and samples. It was to the point now that it seemed normal. She held his hand and turned on the television hoping it would stimulate him to wake up. Occasionally his hand would twitch as she held it and talked to him but the doctor said it was nothing but a reflex.

She felt horrible as a daughter. She should have noticed there was something wrong but he always told her he was fine. He was slipping away from her and it was something she couldn't control.

Dean had not had any rest either. Sara would not let him leave the tour just yet. The company would understand her taking time off but she was afraid that he would be in trouble if he was gone for too long. As soon as they finished up at the last house show he caught a flight to Georgia to be with Sara and her father. He was worried about her state of mind right now. He wasn't sure if she had been through this type of event before.

He found the hospital room and saw Sara sitting in a chair with a blanket wrapped around her arms. She looked like she was in a trance staring at her father. She was a little startled when he walked up to her. "I'm sorry baby," he said.

"You're fine. You didn't have to come, Dean. I don't want them to get mad at you for taking time off from the tour." She said.

"I talked to Vince and Paul both. They approved it and I am going back when I am comfortable leaving you. Right now you don't need to worry about me. I'm here for you and your dad." He said and she smiled up at him. He felt uncomfortable in the room seeing her father like that. He wasn't family but he was going to be there for Sara. He rubbed down her arms with his hands and kissed the top of her head. "Have you had anything to eat?" He asked her.

"No, I'm afraid to leave in case he wakes up. I don't want him to be scared of anything when he wakes up." She said looking up at him. He saw in her eyes that she was tired and weak.

"Babe, you need to eat. You'll make yourself sick if you don't." He told her and she shook her head to disagree with him.

The technician from radiology knocked on the door frame. "We're going to take your father down for another CAT scan. The doctor want to see if anything has change." He said.

"Good. She and I were just about to go to the cafeteria." Dean said and pulled Sara up from her chair.

She was too tired to argue or fight against him. A blank look stayed on her face as they sat at one of the tables in the cafeteria. She took small bites of the meal Dean purchased for her. She hadn't had much of an appetite since she got to the hospital. Dean reached under the table and rubbed her knee.

"I'm worried about you. Eat a little bit more." He said.

She sighed and ran her hand over her face. "I can't Dean. I'm terrified right now and I'm too exhausted." She said.

He pulled his chair closer to hers and put his arm behind her back around her shoulders. He pulled her closer to him and made her lay her head on his chest. "I'm hoping for the best with you Sara. I'm here for you and I'm really worried for you. Phil, Seth, and Ro are worried too." He said as he rubbed her back with his free hand.

"I know babe," she said. "I'm not sure how I need to feel or what I need to do. Right now I am just waiting for him to wake up and smile. He's going to wake up and ask me why they hell I have been crying. When he gets better he is coming to Florida for a break."

"I think he would enjoy that. It's a little different than Georgia." He said. They sat down for a few moments. Dean could feel her dozing off the sleep and could feel her try to fight it off. He looked up and saw Ira's doctor walking toward them with a solemn look in his face. "Shit."


	9. Chapter 9: Goodbye

**(The song lyrics in the first part of the chapter are from Into the Light by In This Moment. I suggest you listen to the song before of after this story. It's a sweet song but a little sad when you think about it.)**

_Can anybody tell me why  
We're lying here on the floor  
And neither of us can barely breathe at all  
The doctors saying hold on tight  
As we say our last goodbyes  
And this is, a moment that changes our whole lives_

"The latest scan shows that your father has no brain function at all. I'm sorry to say this but there is no possibility that there will be any improvement. Right now the machines are the only thing keeping him alive." The doctor explained to Sara.

She buried her face into Dean's arm. This wasn't what she had been wanting to hear. She had to make a decision that she did not ever expect to come up. Dean pulled her close and stroked her hair as she sobbed into his chest.

_And I still believe in the good_  
_And I still believe in the light_  
_And I wanna feel the sun_  
_I wanna free you tonight_  
_And I still believe in the good_  
_And I still believe in the light_  
_And I wanna feel the sun_  
_I wanna free you tonight_

The hospital staff removed all the machines from her father and removed the endotracheal tube before she came back into the room. They left the heart monitor the keep track of his heart rate. Dean led Sara into the room and pulled a chair next to the hospital bed for her to sit in. She put her hand under her father's and laid her head on top it.

_I'm staring deep into your eyes  
They're telling me the time has come  
And I know you're ready to rise and sail home  
The room is filling up with light  
As we say our last goodnight  
I thank you for every second of your life_

She thought back to the good memories with her father. He raised her on his own and supported her in everything she did. The first bike ride and the first day of school. Her high school prom and graduation. He paid for her to go to wrestling school. He cheered at her first match and cheered for her even though she lost. The last match he got to watch of hers was WrestleMania. He even witnessed her engagement. Now she was sharing her last moment with him.

_And I still believe in the good_  
_And I still believe in the light_  
_And I wanna feel the sun_  
_I wanna free you tonight_  
_And I still believe in the good_  
_And I still believe in the light_  
_And I wanna feel the sun_  
_I wanna free you tonight_

_I'm falling, watching as your hurting_  
_I'm down here I'm on my knees_  
_How can I survive_  
_And you turn to me and promise me you're ready_  
_And tell me you'll be waiting on the other side_

She pushed the chair back and sat on her knees next to the bed. The beeping from the monitor began to get slower and slower. She closed her eyes and prayed that he was feeling no pain. She prayed that he had been proud of her because she knew the man had been through a lot. Tears were pouring down her face as she sobbed onto his hand. Dean sat down silently behind her. He rubbed her back assuring her that he was there when he was needed.

_And I still believe in the good_  
_And I still believe in the light_  
_And I wanna feel the sun_  
_I wanna free you tonight_  
_And you showed me all the good_  
_And you lead me through the light_  
_And you gave me the sun_  
_It's time to free you tonight_

The monitor was no longer sounding for his heart rate. The nurse outside came in and shut it off so that the piercing sound of the flat line could not be heard. Sara leaned back against Dean's legs. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

"I love you, daddy."

* * *

Dean was finding it difficult to sleep on the sectional in an unfamiliar house. He would be sleeping better if he was in a hotel room, but he didn't want Sara to be alone in her father's house. She was quiet when she was inside. He helped her find some clothes for the funeral home and a few different pictures for them to display during the service. She hadn't cried anymore but she was still sad. These two days for her were going to be rough. Dean took her to the store to purchase some decent clothing for the funeral. A black shirt, black dress pants, and black dress shoes was simple enough. Dean purchased a suit and tie; she told him he didn't have to but he was going to wear it out of respect.

He had decided to sleep on the sectional couch instead of the guest bedroom because he felt more comfortable with that. Sara wanted to be left alone so she went to the bedroom her father set up for her in case she came to visit. Dean would feel uneasy sleeping with her in the man's house. He knew Sara was awake. He could hear her footsteps upstairs as she walked. It was day three with no sleep for her. He was beginning to worry.

Sara was trying to be quiet as she walked down the upstairs hallway from room to room. She looked in each room imagining her father doing various things or things he would say though out the day. Her heart still felt heavy in her chest. It bothered her that in theory she was responsible for taking her father off life support. She figuratively pulled the plug on him. There was no way he could have any quality of life, but she hated having that weigh on her shoulders. She made it to his bedroom. She sat down in a recliner he had off to the side where he would sit and watch tv or read a book. Silently she hoped that he would walk through that door at any moment.

Dean decided to surf the channels on the tv. He laid with one arm behind his head and the other holding the remote changing the channels. Nothing interested him but it was helping him pass time and put him to sleep. His heart was hurting for Sara. She barely spoke to him or anyone else during this time. He knew the rest of this week was going to be rough for her.

The funeral service lasted for an hour. Many friends and family showed up to pay their respects. Sara forced herself to socialize the people who gave their condolences to her. Phil arrived as well to pay his respects. He found Sara and hugged her. "Hey kiddo," he said. "How are you holding up?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Fine."

He took the hint that she was not in the mood to talk and walked off the find Dean who was standing in the back of the parlor by himself. "She doesn't look too good." Phil said.

"I know. She hasn't had any sleep and she doesn't want to eat. I had to force her to eat a banana this morning. I'm getting more and more worried about her. She's taking this pretty hard." Dean said standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Maybe she will get out of this funk in the next few days. I'll help you with anything you need with her, but I know more of how stubborn she is than you." Phil said.

"I'm learning how that is. I guess we get to be pall-bearers for this." Dean said.

"Do you think that he knew what was going to happen?" Phil asked.

"I think maybe he knew he didn't have much time left so he wanted to do what he could in life without bothering anyone with his health."


	10. Chapter 10: Moving On

Two months had passed now. Sara had not returned to the tour yet. She made Dean go back even though he didn't want to leave her alone at the apartment. He called her often to make sure everything was going fine. It seemed like her spirits were being lifted each day. He missed traveling with her. He missed sharing a bed with her every night. Normally he would dread visiting home every two weeks but this time he wasted no time to get there.

When he arrived he found the apartment to be clean and up kept. Sara had been busy playing house wife it seemed. He could smell food being cooked in the kitchen. He walked in just as Sara finished putting plates on the table. "You've been busy while you have been off haven't you?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I wanted to surprise you, babe. I've missed you." She said and kissed his lips.

"You don't know how much I've missed you. What's for dinner?" He asked looking over at the two plates of food.

"Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cornbread." She said smiling up at him.

He smiled back and her and they sat down across from each other at the table. He picked up his fork and looked down at the plate. "I've never had you cook for me. I hope it's safe to eat." He said with a smirk.

"Don't worry, it's been a while since I have cooked anything for myself." She said with a laugh.

Dean was impressed with the dinner. It was rare to get a home cooked meal but it was great to finally have one. "You did good, baby." He said getting up from the table and taking the empty plates to the sink.

"Thank you, I guess since I cooked the meal you're going the dishes right?" She asked winking at him.

Dean smiled and said, "Yes, I really would like dessert."

"Dessert is later." She said grinning.

He laughed and cleaned up the dirty dishes. Sara cleaned off the table and kitchen stove. The two decided to go to the living to watch a movie before they went to bed. She curled up to him as her sat down and he ran his fingers through her hair as she watched the images on the TV.

"I have to tell you something Dean." She said sitting up.

"What's wrong babe?" He asked her.

"I want to move to Georgia to my dad's house. I'd love it better there because it's out in the country." She said.

"Sara, you can't do that. Why would you want to move away from here?" He asked her. He was starting to get upset.

"Dean, in case you haven't noticed I'm not really a Tampa kind of girl. I've been to the beach maybe five times since I've lived here. I know we're on the road a lot, but when I'm in Georgia I love doing the things I did when I was younger. I can't just let the house be sold. Dad put a lot of things from my childhood in that place. Eventually we can fix it up the way we would want it too." She said trying to convince him this wasn't such a bad idea.

"I am not moving to Georgia, Sara. I've made home here. I like living here and I plan on living here for a long time. You need to let go of the house." He said. He got up from the couch and walked over to the window to stare outside.

"What do you mean let go of the house?" She asked.

"I mean that you need to accept that your dad isn't here anymore!" He yelled at her.

"How can you tell me that? Unfortunately, I have accepted that my dad died. It still kills me that he is no longer here. I wish he was still here so that I can call and tell him about how much of a jerk you are being!" She yelled back. She got up and walked into the kitchen.

He followed behind her and said, "I'm only being a jerk because you're being selfish."

"Selfish? How so?" She asked him.

"You're wanting to move to us there because you're unhappy. You can't think that I'm going to back up everything I've made here." He said.

"No, Dean. I can't expect you to pack up what you have made here, but I can. This isn't my home. It's just somewhere that you've let me live until I could get back on my feet. You said I could stay as long as I wanted, well I'm ready to leave. I'm going to Georgia and I'm fine leaving you here alone." She said and walked out of the kitchen. She walked down the hallway to the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Dean made himself a place to sleep on the couch that night. He wasn't going to argue with her about sleeping in his bedroom. He managed to go to sleep easily. When he woke up he noticed the apartment to be quiet. They normally had small disagreements but this was the first time that had a major argument.

The morning passed quickly and Sara still hadn't emerged from the bedroom. He walked down the hallway and noticed the bedroom door was open. He went inside and say that she wasn't in there. Some of her belongings were gone as well. The only thing she had left was the clothes that he had bought her. He sat down on the bed and sighed. He didn't hear leave the apartment but she was gone. He looked to her side of the bed and saw her engagement ring on the pillow.

* * *

The five hour drive to Macon, Georgia was lonely for Sara. She assumed that she was going to cry the entire time but she never shed a tear. She was still angry about her argument with Dean. She didn't sleep that night and packed up all of her belongings she had bought. The only thing she took of his were the spare suitcases he let her have. She drove up the long driveway to the place that she was going to call her home. The house was quiet inside. She had a few close family members keep the place clean and the yard mowed while she was away. She would be going back out with the tour in a few days and they would watch things for her. The house would stay as her father had it, but she would change a few things to suit her. She unpacked some of her things in her bedroom and left the rest to take on the road with her. It was going to be lonesome here alone. It was going to be lonesome without Dean, but she wasn't going to force him to do anything. She looked down at her hand that once had her engagement ring. Now she could cry.


	11. Chapter 11: An Accident

Sara made sure her jeans were tucked in to her wrestling boots. She didn't want to wrestle in her gear tonight on her first match back. With everything that had gone on she itched to get back into the ring. Tonight she was wrestling in a mixed tag team match. Her partner was going to be Fandango and they were going to be against Seth and Alicia Fox. She hoped that Dean wouldn't be at ringside. One of the members from the creative team had pitched an idea to her that they wanted to see. They wanted her to have an on screen fling with Fandango for a few months. She agreed to give it a try. Hopefully it would be entertaining for her fans. Fandango would also have a feud with Dean to be the number one contender for the WWE championship. She was going to dread being involved with that.

Before they made their entrance he greeted her. "Welcome back Sara." He said giving her a hug.

"Thanks Curt. I'm happy to be back. I've missed being on the road." She said smiling.

"Did they tell you about what you need to do for the match?" He asked her.

"They told me that I had a match and that's it." She said.

"Oh okay. Dean and Roman are going to try to interfere. Alicia is going to play hurt and they want you to stop them somehow." He said.

"That's fine, but I'm not doing the whole dance dance thing. I told everyone I couldn't dance anyway." She said and he smiled at her.

She let out a sigh. Dean was going to be out there. She would just have to grin and bear it. Alicia made her entrance first followed by The Shields usual crowd entrance. Sara's entrance music played and she ran out with her title belt to greet the crowd. The fans cheered loudly for her return. They were excited to have her back. She held her title up with one hand and stood outside of the ring. Fandangos music started and the crowd did their normal singing and dancing with him.

He made it down to Sara and twirled her around for a moment. Dean had been standing with Seth inside of the ring. She could feel him staring at her. The match started with her and Alicia in the ring together. At first it went in favor of Sara's opponent. Alicia had the upper hand with a few various moves. Sara gained the upper hand and this forced Alicia to tag Seth in. He taunted Sara until she made the tag to her male partner.

She kept her eyes glued to the match the entire time. It was killing her to stop herself from staring at Dean to see what he was doing. During the match Alicia was knocked off to the floor. Sara knew her moment was coming up. Fandango had worn Seth down. She saw Dean distracting the referee and Roman coming along the other side to interfere. She ran down the side of the ring on the apron and climbed onto the top turnbuckle. She jumped using the top rope to help her spring off onto Dean. He caught her as she came down. He lost his footing and they both stumbled back into the commentators table. The side of Sara's head bounced off the corner and everything went black.

* * *

Dean finished packing up his gear in his duffle bag. He was pissed. His little slip up landed Sara in the emergency room that night. Everyone knew of their break up and they were already assuming that the slip up wasn't an accident. Roman looked at Dean before they left the locker room. "Are you going to see her?" He asked him.

Dean shook his head and said, "If she needs me she will call."

Seth joined in on the discussion and asked, "Why are you so angry dude?"

"I'm angry because I just went through the ending of one of the best relationships I've had. I'm angry because now everyone is thinking that I purposely fell and got her hurt." Dean said and he walked ahead of the other two. He stayed in a room by himself that night. It would be best that he spent some time alone. If things had gone differently he would be here with Sara. He grabbed his phone and debated on texting her to see how she was. Maybe she didn't want to talk to him now. He couldn't stand it any longer. He was going to call her. He selected her name from his list and pressed send. He waited for a moment and someone finally answered.

"Yeah?" It was Phil on the other end.

"Are you with Sara?" Dean asked him.

"Yeah. They're keeping her overnight here." Phil told him.

"Can I talk to her?" Dean asked, he was hopeful that he could.

"She's resting right now, dude. I will tell her that you called." Phil said.

Dean sighed and laid back on his bed, "Is it bad?"

"No man, she just has a concussion and a few stitches. A doctor is going to come in the morning to see if she will have to take time off." Phil said.

"Is someone staying up there with her?" Dean didn't want her to be alone.

"I'll be here, unless you want to do it." Phil said.

Dean sat there for a moment then said, "No, tell her I called."

Dean ended the call before Phil could say anything else. He sighed and went back into Sara's hospital room.

"What did he say?" She asked him.

He sat down in the chair next to her bed and handed her cell phone back to her. "You would know exactly what he said if you had talked to him." He said.

"I'm not going to talk to him just yet." She said looking down.

"You two are too old for this high school bullshit. You're going to have to work through that one argument. To me it sounds like you didn't give it time for anything. You just left and didn't even try to do anything. I know you love this guy, Sara. You love him more than you ever loved Nick. You're fighting for the wrong thing. Look back at your relationship and fight for it." He said.

She sighed and sunk back against the pillow on the bed. "You're right," she said. "And I hate admitting that you're right."

"I'm always right. You should know that by now. Get some rest kiddo." He said grinning.

She sighed again and turned over to her side. She stared at the closed blind on her window and thought of Dean doing the same thing.


	12. Chapter 12: First Encounter

The gym Dean was forced to go to was hotter than the others they had been to. He was laying on the floor staring at the ceiling thinking about what he needed to do. His relationship with Sara had been over for a month and a half now. He had no plans of moving on, but he also wasn't going to break first in this whole no contact battle they had. He tried his best to ignore that she was at ringside with Fandango. He did find some enjoyment catching her staring at him.

He was grateful that the concussion she suffered from was mild. It was a little awkward seeing stitches above her eyebrow. He did want to have her at ringside, but with him. She was tense each time she pretended to be flirty with Fandango. It was almost like she was afraid for him to see.

He wiped the sweat from his face and sat up from the floor. As he sat there someone popped the back of his head with a plastic bottle.

"What's up curly?" Phil asked him joking with him about his hair.

"I'm wasting away in this gym. Seth is content here though." Dean said and ran his fingers through the hair on top of his head.

"I understand. So, have you talked to Sara?" Phil asked him.

"Nope." Dean said quickly.

Phil rolled his eyes and said, "It really sucks being friends with both of you. I know you two are dying to do whatever again. I know I can be stubborn about shit, but you're beating me. So is Sara. And the only friend she has that is a girl is Amy. And she's not always around so she turns to me! I'm a little tired of giving guy advice especially about you."

Dean shrugged his shoulders and stood up. "It took me forever to get that girl to open up to me," he said. "Maybe I wanted too much too quick from her. I wanted my life with her to be on the road and in Tampa, but no she wants to live five hours away. Maybe I pushed her that far away, but she left the minute things started getting tough."

"Dean," Phil said. "You need to remember what she came out of. What if she got scared?"

Dean stood there thinking to himself. It was possibly she was scared their relationship was turning into the one she left. He didn't want her to fear him when they argued about things. Her past was going to keep her from understanding that no relationship was going to be perfect.

He decided to leave the gym to rest up before the house show. Seth and Roman were going to stay awhile longer. As he walked down the street he came across Sara sitting on a bench outside a coffee shop. Her head was bent down looking at a book.

"I didn't know you liked to read." He said.

She was startled at first not realizing who had spoken to her. "I like reading. I decided to pick it up again. It's good to have something to stimulate the mind." She said.

He smiled and put his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "Do you have a match tonight?" He asked. This was the first time they had talked for weeks.

"Yeah, I'm up against Nikki or Brie. It's nothing too major." She said and shut the book she was reading.

"This Fandango stuff, it's not turning into anything real is it?" He asked already knowing the answer.

"No! God, no. Curt is a cool guy, but he and I don't exactly mesh in real life. We actually don't mesh on screen. Thankfully next week we're ending that storyline." She said with a small laugh.

"That's good. I just wasn't sure where things were heading for you. I mean we haven't talked." He said looking down.

"Dean, I'm not moving on. I don't plan to either. The only man for me is standing right in front of me now." She stood up in front of him.

"Then what the hell are we doing now, Sara?" He asked trying to keep his voice down.

"We can't talk about this right now." She said with a sigh.

He gently grabbed her arm and said, "This is the first time we have talked period, Sara. I know it bothers you to be alone at night because it kills me even more to know I'm not there holding you whispering in your ear that I love you. And I do love you. I love you despite how stubborn and quiet you can be about things. I want you to come home to me."

She shook her head and pulled her arm back. "You're bring up what started this fight," she said. "I love you too, Dean. But I have a home. Even if I am with you I can't be somewhere that I don't. You didn't give it a chance."

He rolled his eyes at her and said, "You didn't stay for me to give it a chance."

She was frustrated she turned to leave and said over her shoulder, "I'm not fighting with you here."

This was where they ended the first time. She was walking away from a problem instead of facing it.

* * *

Sara stood ringside during the Fandango-Dean match. It went back and forth the entire time. When he beat Fandango down he would taunt her. She was grinding her teeth stopping herself from smiling and laughing at him.

During this match they told her to get involved to play up the win for Fandango. She was told Dean knew what to do. He came over and started talking shit to her. She used the ropes to pull herself up in front of him.

"I'm going to kiss you." He said.

"Excuse me?" She asked. She wasn't aware of that happening.

He reached down and grabbed the belt on her jeans with one and used the other to grab the back of her head. He pressed his lips against hers. She didn't fight him. Her lips moved against his for a moment. She probably needed to pull away when it started but it had been too long since she was this close to him. He pulled away and looked deep into her eyes.

"Grab my shoulders and jump down." He instructed her.

She smiled and did as she was told. Dean stumbled backwards and Fandango rolled him up for a quick pin. She joined Fandango as he left the ring. She held up his arm to celebrate the victory.

"I don't think that was in the plan." Curtis whispered to her talking about that kiss.

"Me either." She said, but she liked it.


	13. Chapter 13: The Norm

A heavy rain pelted the roof of Sara's house. It was her second day back home and the second day it had rained. Her plans during her time off had been ruined, but she knew she could plan for them at another time. As she walked from the living room to the kitchen she glanced out the window. She saw a man standing outside. Immediately, she thought of her father's gun cabinet that was all the way upstairs. She squinted her eyes to make out the features of the man and realized it was Dean. Dean was standing outside of her house. She opened the door and ran outside to him.

"What are you doing standing in the pouring rain?" She asked him.

Dean grabbed her face forcing her to look at him. "You are so fucking stubborn and it drives me insane," he said as the rain dripped down his face. "I love you despite that. I don't sleep at night anymore without you by my side. I haven't even changed the pillow case on your side of the bed because it still smells like your hair. I'm done with this not talking bullshit. We're going to be adults and work this shit out. I'm willing to move out here to Georgia, but only if you're willing to compromise with me about things."

Sara stood there unsure of what to say to him. They were both drenched from the rain water now. "Can I please come in?" Dean asked her.

She smiled and took his hand into hers. She led him into the house and turned to look at him. "We need to get out of these wet clothes." She said smiling up at him.

"Yes we do." He said as he removed his wet jacket.

She looked down at her feet that were covered in mud from the front yard. "I think we need a shower too." She said with a grin.

"Together?" He asked.

"Together." She smiled and took his hand again to lead him upstairs.

* * *

Their bodies were entangled with each other and the blankets on the bed. Dean ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. "I've missed this." He whispered softly.

She smiled and said, "I have too."

He pulled her close to him and held her tight. "Dean," she said. "I am so sorry if I hurt you. I should not have acted so childish."

"It's okay baby. As long as we work everything out, we can be back to normal. Like I said, we can work on compromising things that are important." He said.

"So, you're really okay with moving here?" She asked him.

"Yes. Only if we go back to Tampa every now and then. I'm going to keep the apartment too." He said.

"I love that idea. As long as I'm with you. I know I was stupid for how I acted. I was so afraid of giving up this place that I almost lost you." She said. He realized that she was on the verge of crying.

"Baby, you were never going to lose me. Come hell or high water I was going to fight tooth and nail to get through to you. I don't want you to ever be afraid to talk to me either, Sara. I'm not like that asshole from your past. If we get into an argument, and yes there will be some in the future, I won't hurt you. We will just have to work through it." He told her.

Dean was relieved to be on the right road to start getting things back to normal in their relationship. He laughed at himself for standing out in the rain. He stood out there for almost an hour rehearsing what he was going to say to her. If she hadn't seen him and ran outside he probably would've stood out there longer.

"Georgia may grow on you, Dean." Sara said rest her head against his chest.

He rubbed her bare back with his hand. "Anything involving you will grow on me. Eventually Tampa will grow on you too." He said.

"Yeah, but you still can't force me to hang out on the beach every day." She said with a small laugh.

"I am going to ask that I get to see you in a bikini at least once every trip though." He said grinning.

"Only if I can get a massage every other night if I have a match." She said.

"Deal. Now if we can just get you off the Fandango wagon I will be even happier." He said rolling his eyes at the thought of her accompanying Fandango to the ring again.

"As soon as you win the championship it will all be over. Dean Ambrose, the new WWE champion." She said.

He smiled at the fact that he would soon be the new champion. He always knew his moment would come and now it was playing out like he had hoped for. He stared down at the beautiful woman lying on his arm with her head on his chest.

"Sara, what would you be doing if we had not ended up together?" He asked her.

"I might've ended up dead. I don't think I would have mustard up the courage to stand up to Nick if it wasn't for you. I knew I wanted you all along but I was afraid to accept it. My whole attitude changed after everything. I'm beyond thankful to have you." She said.

Everything she was saying was true. Dean was perfect for her. Somehow, she thought, all the events that had happened in her life led her to Dean. Like any other person she needed to go through some rough times before she could find true happiness. She still needed to work on some minor flaws but with a good amount of patience and work she would be able to be happy.

* * *

Dean looked around the house that he would soon call his. "Do I get a man cave?" He asked Sara.

She looked up from the book she was reading and said, "I have to think about that."

"Okay, it's either the man cave or I get to hire someone to fix the patio out back into a man patio." He said.

"Man cave it is." She said and continued to read her book.

"Maybe I will take up hunting." He said as he paced around the floor.

"Do you even know how to shoot a gun?" She asked him.

"Do you?" He asked back.

"Dean, I grew up around here. At some point and time my dad did teach me how to shoot something." She said and smiled as she thought about those memories.

"I don't think I want to take up hunting. But I still get the man cave right?" He asked. He walked over to the couch that she was stretched out on and crawled on top of her.

"Yes, babe. You get your man cave as long as you clean up after yourself and the other little boys that come over." She said. He smiled and snuggled up next to her. So far the moving idea was turning out perfect.


	14. Chapter 14: Happy

Dean had his face buried in Sara's hair as they slept. He woke up feeling her shiver in his arms. He groaned feeling the urge to urinate. Unwillingly he left the bed pulling the blanket up around Sara to keep warm. He went to the bathroom and relieved himself. As he washed his hands in the sink he came up with the idea to make breakfast. It would be a nice surprise for Sara when she was awake. He quietly made his way into the bedroom and slipped on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. It had been a month since he officially moved in and he was still getting use to where things where. He looked at the clock above the stove and saw that it was noon.

"I guess I can fix lunch instead of breakfast. Or I could just change the clocks and made her think that it is still morning." He said to himself then laughed at the idea.

He rummaged around the kitchen for a little while and began put some things together. Over time he learned to cook on his own and thought to be a very good cook at that. He found two chicken breasts in the refrigerator and decided that baking it sounded good. After finding some other ingredients he had put everything in the oven and set it to bake. As he waited the doorbell rang and he quickly hurried to answer it before Sara woke up.

Dean glared at the man standing on the porch. This was the man who had caused the woman he loved pain that she did not deserve. "What the fuck do you want Nick?"

Nick smirked and rolled his eyes at seeing Dean. "I'm here to talk to Sara, not here little boy toy."

"This "boy toy," won't be letting you talk to her. I suggest that you leave before I have to make you leave." Dean growled at him.

"Oh you think that you can make me leave? I've seen you in the ring I believe I could-"Nick was cut off by Dean's fist making contact to his face. The man felt backwards and groaned out with pain.

"Do I need to repeat myself or can you take the hint now?" Dean was now angered and yelling.

Nick stood up and glared at Dean one last time. "She's not fucking worth it anyway."

Dean made sure that Nick had left before he went back inside. As he shut the door behind him he looked up and saw Sara standing at the top of the staircase. "Hey babe." He said hoping that she did not witness that encounter.

She rushed down the stairs to him and grabbed the hand that he had hit Nick with. She frowned at the red knuckles and kissed them softly. "You didn't have to do that." She said holding on to his hand tightly.

"Before you even try to say it, I am aware that you can take care of yourself. When there is a situation that you can take care of yourself, have at it. If I'm around and some dick like your ex decides to try and fuck with you I am going to take care of it. I'm not here to be your hero or knight in shining armor, I am here to love you and protect you. I'm here to hold you and make you smile. I've wanted to be here for that for a long ass time and I promise to do a good job at it."

"I wasn't going to say that. Okay maybe I was. And thank you for being here. I guess things have a funny way of working out. Maybe it wasn't meant for us to be together at first. Everything wouldn't be like it is right now."

Dean pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. He stood there holding her for a long time. He heard her inhaling and sniffing through her nose.

"Babe, don't cry. There's nothing to cry about." He said and stroked her hair with his hand.

"I'm not crying. I smell something burning. Are you trying to set my kitchen on fire? What's the deal with men setting things I own on fire?"

"Fuck! I was cooking lunch!" Dean ran off toward the kitchen and Sara laughed at the thought of him accidently burning lunch. She walked calmly into the kitchen just as Dean threw a smoking skillet into the sink.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I wanted to surprise you with lunch. I guess I let time get away from me." He said feeling disappointed in himself.

She turned on the water to the sink to cool off anything that could catch on fire. She smiled and stepped toward Dean. He wrapped his arms around her again and sighed. "Maybe I will let you cook from now on."

She laughed and said, "How about when we stay in Tampa I let you cook for me and here I will cook for you? It's probably safer that way."

He squeezed her tightly and said, "That will work. I like the way you cook anyway."

The crowd for Hell in a Cell was on fire. It was the main event match for the WWE championship. Daniel Bryan, the current champion, was defending the title against Dean. This was the moment he had been working for since he was signed to the company. The match began and the two men began to grapple. Daniel had the upper hand through the majority of the match. The crowd cheered for Daniel causing him to feed his energy from them. He ran toward Dean ready to get him with a knee to the face. Dean jumped and hit Daniel with a dropkick knocking them both down.

Sara ran down to the ring and motioned for the referee to take the chain off the door. He felt around his pockets and could not find the key. This was horrible timing for them to botch anything. An idea came into her head. She found where the road crew had left their tools to fix things on the cage if needed. This idea was crazy but it was going to make history. She dug through the box until she found a pair of bolt cutters.

She stared up to the top of the cage and grinned. She threw her title belt to the floor and began climbing up the side of the cage. Dean had managed to roll onto his back. That's when he saw what she was doing. Daniel, also down, looked over at Dean with a confused look on his face. Dean shook his head and pushed himself up off the mat. He stumbled backwards and rested in one of the corners against the turnbuckle. He looked up and saw that Sara was now above them.

"What are you doing?" Dean yelled up at her. He didn't want to break out of character but he didn't want her to get hurt.

She ignored him and began using the bolt cutter to cut through the top of the cage. After a few links she had managed to make an opening big enough to where she could put herself through. Both Dean and Daniel were staring up at here trying to figure out what she was doing. She stared down at the two men and smiled.

They continued their match before the crowd began to catch on to what was doing on. Daniel had Dean down again. Daniel looked up at Sara. She smiled at him again and jumped down toward him. Her feet hit his chest knocking him away from her as she landed in the ring. By now Dean was up again and finished Daniel off with the headlock driver. The referee was back in the ring as Dean pinned Daniel. With a three count he had won the match. Dean Ambrose was the new WWE champion.

Sara was face down in the corner of the ring holding her back. She had landed wrong as she jumped down in the ring. Of course, this was not the plan. If the door had been opened to the cage she was to hit Daniel with a chair helping Dean with the win. The officials surrounded her along with two of the doctors. Dean pushed the referee away as he tried to hand him the title belt. He rushed over to Sara. She had pulled herself up to a sitting position and had tears coming from her eyes. Along with her back she felt pain surging through her bad knee.

Dean knelt down next to her and put his hand on her leg. She looked at him and pushed his hand off. "Go get your title." She said as she tried to keep her voice from cracking.

"Sara, you're hurt. I don't care about that right now."

"Go."

Dean listened to her and went back with the referee to claim his belt. She requested that one of the other officials retrieved her title belt. She pulled herself up with the ropes and threw the title up on her shoulder. Limping with each step, she moved to Dean until she was standing in front of him. They stood there staring at each other as the crowd yelled.

"You ready for this?" She asked him.

He grinned at her and nodded. "Yeah, but I think the real question is are these people ready for it?"

She giggled and pulled him down for a kiss. This kiss was not staged or forced, it was real. Although she was injured and in pain she was going to follow through with the story. For once she was excited for this idea. Finally, she would be able to join Dean ringside during his matches and cheer him on. The both were now champions and had already pitched a power couple idea to the creative team.

Dean forced himself away from her and they both held up their championships to the crowd. Some fans cheered; some fan showed their hate for what had just happened. Either way they were both excited for what would soon be happening in their careers. After a celebration the couple made their way backstage. Sara let the doctors check her out from her fall.

Phil made his way over to her. "What the hell was that?" He asked her.

"Opportunity." She said, wincing as the doctor felt down her back.

"Did you know that she was going to do this?" Phil asked Dean.

"Don't you think that I would've said no if she had planned this out?" Dean asked being a smart ass.

Phil shook his head at Sara and said, "Well, you did good kid. I guess I taught to well."

She grinned at him and said, "Thanks, Punk. I'm giving you a running for the best in the world before too long."

"Don't count on that."

She did not want to go to the hospital. After the twenty foot fall she felt that if it was bad she would not have been able to get up and walk. She felt Dean sneak his arm around her shoulders.

"You're a little crazy, you know that right?" He asked joking with her.

"Just a little. Want to know something really crazy that I want to do?" She asked him with a grin on her face.

"I hope that it's not to jump off anything else. I almost stopped the match to try and get you down."

"Next week we have a free night in Vegas. I want to get married. You asked me and I originally said yes. This were messed up at first, but now I know I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. I don't want to wait for a fancy wedding with dresses and suits. We can go through one of the drive thru's. I don't care as long as I'm your wife and you're my husband."

Dean was surprised at what she had said. "I thought you would want a big wedding where you could go bridezilla on everyone." He said laughing.

"That can wait, but I want this now."

He smiled at her and said, "If that's your way of proposing I guess I need to say yes. I don't want anything more than to get to call you Mrs. Ambrose."

She looked up at him with excitement in her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. This was the best feeling he had ever had and it was going to stick around forever. The two of them worked hard to fight for their position in the company and they worked hard to fight to keep together. Everything they had gone through was now worth the fight.


End file.
